Medtail and the Middle

The velocity of investment and expansion in medical and wellness brands seems to favor patient audiences on either side of the socioeconomic spectrum. The affluent have numerous paths to wellness, and can pay out of pocket for memberships, subscriptions, specialty services, wearable. Discretionary spending on all niches of feeling better, longer, has only increased in the COVID era. For the more vulnerable of our country, Medicare and Medicaid are expansive programs that patients, providers, and growth stage investors alike employ as a safety net.

Consumer-facing healthcare is echoing some of the lessons of retail, where trying to be all things to all people is untenable. But the stakes are so much higher.

Additionally, treating sickness versus fostering wellness is top of mind for this new phase of healthcare spending. The overwhelming wave of VC and PE will continue to pour into the preventative wellness space. Seems obvious that tech-forward and urban-centric groups will always have investors at the ready. With expanding government programs for our most vulnerable, it is welcome news (if done thoughtfully and authentically) that growth capital is flooding into value based care groups for the elderly and underprivileged.

Will the middle be left behind, or will an emerging Medtail brand be all things to all people?